Veteran sports writer Jim Utter covers NASCAR for The Charlotte Observer and its racing site, ThatsRacin.com. In this space, Jim writes about all things NASCAR and other forms of racing which may also be relevant ... or not.

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Fans will determine the starting lineup for Sprint Unlimited

For the second year in a row, fans will decide upon a number of competition elements for the Sprint Unlimited at Daytona, the 75-lap, non-points race that kicks off the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racing season on Saturday, Feb. 15.

Starting today, fans can cast their votes to set the overall format and determine key racing elements. Fans will set the number of laps in each of the three segments, while also voting on how drivers will line up at the start of the race and how they will line up for the restart of the final segment.

Fans can submit their votes within the official NASCAR app, NASCAR MOBILE, or at NASCAR.com/SprintUnlimited.

Voting is unlimited and all votes cast through NASCAR MOBILE will count twice. The voting window for the race format will close on Saturday, February 15 at 6 p.m. ET, while voting for the starting order and final segment restart order will close at various times during the race broadcast.

Voting Categories:

Race Format: Number of laps in each race segment (Voting ends at 6 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 15)

Option A: 30 laps/35 laps/10 laps

Option B: 30 laps/30 laps/15 laps

Option C: 30 laps/25 laps/20 laps

Starting Order: How drivers will line up to start the race (Voting ends at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 15)

Option A: Most Career Poles (most to least)

Option B: 2013 Driver Points Standings

Option C: Final Practice Speeds (fastest to slowest times)

Restart Order for Final Segment: How drivers will line up for the final segment (Voting ends at the conclusion of the second segment)

Option A: Fastest lap in the race (first and second segments both count)